Ensign, Reid

[Nate tha\\\' Great]

Okay, I've searched through some earlier articles related to the previous attempts to ban Inernet gambling. Harry Reid was actually a CO-SPONSOR of one of the Kyl bills. So his comments in the Review-Journal article cited earlier are probably reflective of reality.

John Ensign, on the other hand, did not sponsor the Kyl bill, and is on record as saying that he thinks any ban is unenforcable. Also, he is in a potentially tough re-election campaign against Jack Carter, son of former president Jimmy Carter. Getting the message out to him that this bill would be bad news for the state of Nevada could be very effective. Finally, Ensign has no qualms about placing holds on legislation (http://ensign.senate.gov/issleg/issues/record.cfm?id=253190&), even when he might be something of a voice in the wilderness.

I would encourage people to contact both Nevada senators.

[disjunction]

[ QUOTE ]
Okay, I've searched through some earlier articles related to the previous attempts to ban Inernet gambling. Harry Reid was actually a CO-SPONSOR of one of the Kyl bills. So his comments in the Review-Journal article cited earlier are probably reflective of reality.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wonder if this is because the casinos in his state used to be against online poker, whereas now they are "neutral" and endorsing a 1-year study.

[Wynton]

Nate, that's interesting, but depressing.

Next time you search, please report back better news.

[Nate tha\\\' Great]

Another good senator to contact might be Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). He is fairly unabashed in his support for "gaming" (http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/ngisc/meetings/jan2198/jan21p3.html), and generally has a reputation as a bit of a political maverick.

We do know that previous attempts to pass legislation on this subject in the Senate have stalled. Odds are that certain senators have been working behind the scenes to encourage that stalling. I suspect that Lautenberg and probably Ensign are two of them.

[Nate tha\\\' Great]

[ QUOTE ]
Nate, that's interesting, but depressing.

Next time you search, please report back better news.

[/ QUOTE ]

Keep in mind that the theory about Reid placing a hold on the legislation is a theory that has been speculated about here on 2+2, and really only here. None of the numerous stories that have said that legislation is unlikely to be passed by the Senate have tied that to Harry Reid. There are 100 Senators that could hold up this legislation. Someone like Ensign might be less powerful than Reid in the abstract, but he's also in the party of the majority, and might be in a position to say to Bill Frist: "Bill, let's not give this Carter yokel a leg to stand on. I'll get killed back at home. Can we make sure that this one withers on the vine?"

[SinCityGuy]

[ QUOTE ]
Ensign might be less powerful than Reid in the abstract, but he's also in the party of the majority, and might be in a position to say to Bill Frist: "Bill, let's not give this Carter yokel a leg to stand on. I'll get killed back at home. Can we make sure that this one withers on the vine?"

[/ QUOTE ]

That's a nice thought, but this online gambling ban is not that big of a deal to the Nevada gaming industry, and it's a virtual non-issue with 99.9% of the voters here. It's not going to be a factor in the Ensign/Carter contest.

[Nate tha\\\' Great]

Top Senators receiving campaign contributions from Gambling PACs in this cycle:

1


Ensign, John (R-NV)


$173,500

2


Cantwell, Maria (D-WA)


$68,150

3


Conrad, Kent (D-ND)


$54,278

4


Burns, Conrad (R-MT)


$49,615

5


Smith, Gordon H (R-OR)


$42,500

6


Allen, George (R-VA)


$38,120

7


Johnson, Tim (D-SD)


$34,700

8


Talent, James M (R-MO)


$29,420

9


Clinton, Hillary Rodham (D-NY)


$28,050

10


Lieberman, Joe (D-CT)


$26,121

11


Stabenow, Debbie (D-MI)


$25,050

12


Menendez, Robert (D-NJ)


$23,500

13


Santorum, Rick (R-PA)


$23,020

14


Kennedy, Edward M (D-MA)


$21,500

15


Reid, Harry (D-NV)


$21,200

16


McConnell, Mitch (R-KY)


$19,350

17


Feinstein, Dianne (D-CA)


$18,200

18


Lott, Trent (R-MS)


$18,100

19


Bingaman, Jeff (D-NM)


$17,400

20


Baucus, Max (D-MT)


$13,200